Come and See

The Second Sunday after Epiphany

January 14, 2024

John 1:43-51

 “Come and See”

In preparing for this sermon, I came across the following, which I think is helpful to get at today’s Gospel. Here goes: “Finish this sentence: ‘Can anything good come out of ___________________?’ The way we fill in the blank reveals the implicit biases we carry toward certain places and people who come from them. In honest reflection, what part of town, part of the country, or part of the world flashes to mind with that question? For the disciple Nathanael, the answer is the small backwoods village of Nazareth. Yet Nathanael is amazed as he encounters God in Jesus the Nazarene. Throughout scripture God is revealed in unlikely people and places, challenging biases and crumbling prejudices” (Sundays and Seasons: Year B 2024. Minneapolis: Augsburg-Fortress, 2023; p. 75). Then as now, our biases and prejudices come out in conversation with others, sometimes without our even being aware of this. In today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus called Philip to follow him, and then Philip invited Nathanael to come and meet Jesus. It would’ve been very easy for Philip to take offense at Nathanael’s snarky, sarcastic remark. It would’ve been very easy for Philip to just walk away and move on. Isn’t that what we sometimes – maybe oftentimes – do in situations like this? Philip doesn’t get into an argument with Nathanael about all of this. He just extends a simple invitation: “Come and see” (John 1:46). Nathanael accepts Philip’s invitation, he meets Jesus, and his life is forever changed. “Come and see” – those words of Philip’s become the theme for today’s message. May the Lord’s rich and abundant blessing rest upon the preaching, the hearing, and the living of his Word for Jesus’ sake.

Each year during the Epiphany season, our congregation focuses on this series called “Being SJLC.” The SJLC stands for our congregation’s name, St. John’s Lutheran Church, but also for what this series is about: Serving Jesus – Living in Community. The impetus for this series originally came from the book, Joining Jesus on His Mission: How to Be an Everyday Missionary, by Greg Finke, which hopefully is familiar to many of you. I think we could actually call this “The Philip Principle,” because that’s exactly what Philip was doing in today’s Gospel lesson. For a good number of years now, our congregation has been engaged in living out the five mission practices and questions from this book. They’ve begun to integrate into the DNA of our congregation, and that’s a very good thing. Those five mission practices and their attending questions include: Seeking the kingdom/How did you see God at work this week? Hearing from Jesus/What has Jesus been teaching you in his Word? Talking with people/What kind of conversations are you having with people who don’t know Jesus? Doing good/What’s the good we can do around here? Ministering through prayer/How can we help you in prayer? If all of this sounds familiar to you, wonderful! If not, I will use the “Philip Principle” here and extend an invitation to you to “come and see” what joining Jesus on his mission looks like.

The truth is that is that Being SJLC – Serving Jesus and Living in Community – actually begins with Jesus’ serving us and living among us. That is the whole message of Jesus’ life and ministry. “The Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to offer his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). His baptism by John in the Jordan River that we celebrated last Sunday marked the beginning of Jesus’ public life and ministry as the Father’s chosen and beloved Son. Jesus’ serving would culminate with his life-giving death upon the cross. That sacrifice of love covers all our sins, and it is from Jesus’ serving us that we are moved to serve others. As Jesus himself has loved and served us, so we are led to do the same for others. It is God’s work through our hands. Come and see what this looks like as we distribute care kits to homeless people with socks, handwarmers, rain poncho, emergency blanket and other items. Come and see what this looks like as we collect supplies for Bethany House, a place where women and children find refuge from abuse and trauma. Led by our Creative Fellowship group, throughout this Epiphany season, we are collecting sheets and comforters, towels and wash cloths, cleaning supplies and other things for Bethany House. Come and see what this looks like as we provide meals and serve homeless individuals at the Hypothermia Shelter later this month. Come and see the love of Jesus through the love and service of his people. Serving Jesus and Living in Community all flows out of Jesus’ first serving us and living among us with his grace and mercy.

In both today’s Old Testament lesson (1 Samuel 3:1-20), as well as the Gospel lesson, God is doing a new thing. In the Old Testament lesson, we read that the boy Samuel “did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him” (1 Samuel 3:7), and yet God chose to reveal himself to the boy, Samuel, rather than through Eli, the high priest of Israel. How humbling that must have been both for Samuel as well as Eli! The house of Eli would fall as God revealed, while Samuel would grow up to become the prophet of the Lord in Israel. In the Gospel lesson, Jesus reveals himself to Nathanael, sitting under the fig tree. Jesus reveals himself as the very connection between heaven and earth: “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (John 1:51). Many centuries before, Jesus’ ancestor, Jacob, was on the run after deceiving his father, Isaac, and stealing his brother, Esau’s, birthright. As he slept, in a dream he saw a ladder from earth to heaven, with angels ascending and descending upon it (Genesis 28:10-17). God is doing a new thing in fulfilling Jacob’s dream in the Person of his own Son, Jesus. Do we have the eyes of faith to see the new thing that God is doing among us here and now?

As Philip invited Nathanael, so Jesus invites us and all people to “Come and see.” Come and see this new thing that Jesus is doing as he forgives us all our sins; as he loves us with an everlasting love; as he empowers us to love and serve others in his Name; as he leads us from death to eternal life. As we seek to join Jesus on his mission, as we serve Jesus and live in community, may the Holy Spirit work powerfully among us to draw many people to come and see, not us, but Jesus. Amen.